Schlüsselwörter

Migration

A neglected dimension of inequalities in health?

Abstract

Over the past 70 years, several million people have immigrated into Germany—from different countries of origin and for different reasons. The categories used by society to label immigrants (“guest workers”, “persons with a migration background”) have changed over time. This change has occurred in parallel with changes in the societal attitude towards immigrants and in their legal position. There is unequivocal evidence that the forms that migration takes, in addition to the societal responses towards immigrants, have an effect on their health. The spectrum of migration to Germany is likely to remain fluent because of the continuing process of globalization; also, societal responses to migration will change over time. Thus, migration will continue to pose challenges to society and to health. Only through continuous attentiveness will it be possible to identify, and then avoid or reduce, health disadvantages faced by persons with a migration background.

Spallek J, Zeeb H, Razum O (2011) What do we have to know from migrants’ past exposures to understand their health status? A life course approach. Emerg Themes Epidemiol 8:6PubMedCentralCrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar